To celebrate the Cocobots that Karl Lagerfeld sent down the runway for his SS17 show this past Tuesday, we compiled five more straight-up strange fashion shows.

Fashion

10.6.2016

By Tess Kessler

5 Weird AF Runway Shows You Have to See to Believe

When Coco Chanel created her namesake label, she probably didn’t know it would become a fashion legacy. Nor is it likely that she ever envisioned “Cocobots,” as they were dubbed, walking down her runway. And yet that is exactly what Karl Lagerfeld did at Chanel’s SS17 Paris runway show on Tuesday. Wearing the label’s signature tweed two-piece suits, the Cocobots navigated their way through a runway set of machinery and polychromatic frayed wires. It was epic, to say the least. So in the funky spirit of Chanel’s latest show, we’ve dug up some of the strangest, funniest, and just plain jaw-dropping runway shows—both recent and past. Brace yourselves, it’s about to get interesting.

Rick Owens, SS16

When Rick Owens quite literally harnessed one human to another in his SS16 runway show—an ensemble deemed the “human backpack” by many—the world freaked out. And we honestly can’t figure out why. To us, this seems like a viable way to get the attention of street style photographers while also getting in a good workout. It also poses a considerable challenge for all of the visual merchandisers out there; we’re not sure how they plan on displaying these bodies, but we just hope they’re steamed beforehand.

Alexander McQueen, FW98

Nowadays, the word “slay” has been used to describe just about anything or anyone remotely impressive; it’s diluted the term and, we think, has done a disservice to people like Joan of Arc—babes who actually did in fact slay. At least Alexander McQueen seemed to appreciate Ms. Arc, for she was the sole inspiration behind his seminal FW98 show. The eerie, majestic runway show featured models with blood-red eyes and a slew of red and black garments. But it’s the show’s finale that will be remembered by most—and that makes this show worthy of the number two spot on our list. Let us set the scene: a single model, adorned in a red, fringe-heavy dress that extended all the way up the neck, past the mouth, and over the model’s entire head, swayed back and forth, amidst a ring of fire, as if slightly possessed. Which, now that we think about it, has us rethinking the modern-day use of the word “fire” too.

Jana Nedzvetskaya, SS15

Do not test Russian designer Jana Nedzvetskaya, for she does not half-ass anything. Why get your feet wet, seems to be her motto, when you could just submerge your entire garments into a pool of water? For that is exactly what she did with her SS15 collection, which she quite literally showed below sea level. Models adorned in elegant gowns (one even wore a wedding dress, veil and all) strutted down a runway, only to hurl themselves into a pool at the end of the catwalk. Somehow, however—despite nothing seemingly arranged to work in their favor—the models managed to make the entire performance look effortless and beautiful. A breathtaking show, to say the least.

Henrik Vibskov, FW09

The phrase “hamster vibes” is a phrase we never thought we’d type. And yet, here we are. Or rather, here they were—”they” being models—in 2009, walking for Henrik Vibskov’s fall/winter collection, and looking like characters straight out of a Clockwork Orange-tinged Dr. Seuss book. While no furry friends were present, the show was rife with rodent feels, peppered as it was with human-sized, black-and-white striped hamster wheels.

Vivienne Westwood SS95

There’s a reason Ms. Westwood was granted an honorary title of knighthood in the UK. The subversive, punk-driven designer has always pushed the boundaries, and her SS95 show was a case in point—not to mention weird AF. Models’ faces were painted white like geishas as they strutted about, sort of haphazardly, nibbling on (and sometimes feeding each other) Magnum ice cream bars. Shoes apparently came adorned with vibrators and some butts were bare. All in all, a successful show if you ask us!